Electrospun PVDF-BCZT nanofibers composite for high performance piezoelectric energy harvesting and sensing application

Abstract

Flexible piezoelectric nanogenerators are attractive for wearable electronics owing to their fast response, lightweight, and low cost. Here, lead-free Ba0.85Ca0.15Zr0.10Ti0.90O3 (BCZT) ceramics were synthesized via a solidstate reaction route and incorporated into a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) matrix to form electrospun nanofibers using the electrospinning technique. Structural and morphological analysis (XRD, FTIR, and FESEM) confirmed uniform dispersion and enhanced beta-phase formation, with a maximum content of 91.2 % at 30 wt.% BCZT due to enhanced interfacial interactions that promoted beta-phase formation. Piezoelectric force microscopy revealed a piezoelectric coefficient (d(33)*) of similar to 160 pm/V. The optimized composite was fabricated into a piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH), producing an output voltage of 45.2 V, a current of 89.3 nA, and a power density of 239.5 mu W/cm(3) under a mechanical force of 50 N at 5 Hz, substantially higher than that of pure PVDF. A multilayer PEH further increased power density to 664.6 mu W/cm(3). These results highlight that electrospun PVDF-BCZT nanofibers offer a promising route towards high-performance, lead-free, and flexible devices for energy harvesting and sensing applications.